1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to networking and communications.
2. Description of the Background Art
Computer networks are widely used to provide increased computing power, sharing of resources and communication between users. Networks may include a number of computer devices within a room, building or site that are connected by a high-speed local data link such as Ethernet, token ring, or the like. Local area networks (LANs) in different locations may be interconnected to form a wide area network (WAN).
In the operation and maintenance of computer networks a number of issues arise, including traffic overload on parts of the network, optimum placement and interconnection of network resources, security, isolation of network faults, and the like. These issues become increasingly complex and difficult to understand and manage as the network becomes larger and more complex.
One particular network management task relates to assigning a gateway to a host on a network. A network administrator may do this task individually per host. Alternatively, or in addition, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) may be used to facilitate this task. A network administrator configures the DHCP server with regards to the gateway to be assigned to the DHCP clients on a network segment.
It is highly desirable to improve technology for networking and communications. In particular, it is desirable to improve technology for assigning a gateway to a host on a network in a way that improves the utilization of network resources.